You’ve got a website, some social posts going out, maybe a few paid ads running in the background. You’re spending money (and time) on a marketing strategy. But how do you know if any of it is actually working?
For small or medium-sized businesses, this is a vital question to ask. You can’t afford to pour budget into activities that aren’t shifting the needle. And yet, many businesses do.
Let’s demystify it. Here’s how to know if your marketing is doing its job — and what to do if you’re not sure.
What does “working marketing” even look like?
Good marketing builds steadily. It delivers quality leads, boosts visibility, and supports your sales process.
Here’s what effective marketing usually looks like for a business like yours:
- Leads are increasing — not by thousands, but enough to notice.
- The right people are getting in touch. Less spam, more quality.
- Your brand name is being searched more often. (Check your Google Search Console!)
- People convert quicker — they’ve seen your content before, and trust you.
- You’re spending less time convincing — the marketing is warming them up first.
It’s not glamorous. But it works.
The metrics that actually matter
Marketing reports can be a minefield of metrics. Impressions, reach, CTRs, bounce rates — enough to make anyone glaze over. Here’s what to actually pay attention to:
- Leads and enquiries: Not just numbers, but quality. Are people who could actually buy getting in touch?
- Branded search volume: Are more people Googling your company name or product brand?
- Source of leads: Are enquiries coming from places you’re active: Google, social media, email, offline?
- Conversion rates: What % of visitors become leads? Or leads become clients?
- Sales cycle length: Is marketing helping speed things up?
- Cost per acquisition (CPA): If you’re running paid campaigns, what’s it costing to get a paying customer?
Signs your marketing isn’t working
- You’re not sure what success even looks like.
- Your only metric is how many likes your Instagram post got.
- You’re spending a chunk of budget, but leads haven’t increased in months.
- You can’t tie marketing to actual revenue (or at least real conversations).
- You’re still relying entirely on word of mouth.
Ask your marketer these questions
- What do you track monthly — and why?
- How do you define success for this campaign?
- What would we stop first if the budget was halved?
- Can we trace leads back to specific activities?
- How do we know if this content is converting?
If the answers are vague, it might be time to tighten things up.
How to track marketing performance without becoming a data analyst
- UTM links: Tag your URLs. Then you’ll know exactly where people came from — Facebook ad, LinkedIn post, email newsletter.
- CRM (even a simple one): Log who gets in touch, how, and what happens next. Even a spreadsheet beats relying on memory.
- Ask people how they found you: Simple. But often skipped. Add a field on your contact form or just ask.
- Use Looker Studio: Pulls data from GA4, social, search, and your CRM to show what’s working at a glance.
- Review monthly or weekly: Schedule a regular 30-minute review. What’s gone out? What did it lead to? What’s worth repeating?
Bonus: Common mistakes we see (and fix)
- Mistake 1: Too many vanity metrics
Focus on leads, conversion rate, CPA, and branded search. - Mistake 2: No follow-up process
Marketing brings leads in. Sales must close them. Follow up consistently. - Mistake 3: Expecting instant results
Most good marketing takes 3–6 months to show impact. - Mistake 4: Doing everything everywhere
Better to go deep on two channels than be mediocre on five.
What success might actually look like
Here’s a real-world example. Let’s say you’re a solar installer. You’re posting once a week on LinkedIn, running a £500/month Google Ads campaign, and publishing a weekly blog. After three months, here’s what you might see:
- 20% increase in enquiries from non-referrals.
- 15 new branded search queries appearing in Search Console.
- 3 new leads say they found you from your blog or a LinkedIn post.
- Landing page conversion up from 1% to 3%.
That’s progress. That’s working.
In summary
Marketing that works doesn’t always feel dramatic. It’s the quiet increase in the right people getting in touch. It’s better conversations. Shorter sales cycles. Less panic.
You don’t need a marketing degree to figure it out. Just ask better questions, track what matters, and review regularly.
Need help making sense of your marketing?
Get in touch and let us help you find out what’s working.